June, 2008

Blessing of the bikes rescheduled for Sunday, June 8th
On Sunday, June 8th MMR will meet at Gellar’s at approximately 11 A.M. and take a short ride to St. Bonaventures for the annual blessing of the bikes.. There will be a $5 per bike fee except for Gold card members who will be free of charge (MMR will take a head count of Gold members present and make out a check to St. Bonaventures for that portion of the fee). The blessing is a good start for the riding season, along with Safety consciousness, to ensure each rider an accident free riding year. Please call our Hot-line for the latest updates if the weather looks to be unfavorable. 

Storm the State house May 15th a huge success.
MMR supports with 9 riders On Thursday, June 15th over 125 riders from all parts of Mass., CT, NH and RI took part in a ride to the statehouse to help push and support several pending bills of importance to the motorcycle community. Joining in from MMR were the following- President-Hawk H. Hickman, Past President-Paula McCallum, Past President- Jack Cribbs, E-Board member, Scotty Smith, Tabitha Emerald, Rob Staines, Jack Daniels, Jan Killion and Steve Celli.

We met at Burger King in Kingston and then rode to the Braintree Rotary parking lot behind the Sunoco Station to form up with other groups. After a short wait and taking some pictures, we drove up the Somerville to the Emporium and met the rest of the participants. It was very exciting to say the least. The ride from Braintree to Somerville was in heavy, dangerous traffic and pot-hole conditions. It is a tribute to all the riders that there was not one incident during that leg. At the Emporium, we had breakfast, listened to various speakers, including Representative Bob Hedlund, who is a rider. Various club representatives, including myself, gave updates on their upcoming activities. It was then off to the Statehouse. This was extremely exciting, as we were all pumped up, honking our horns and letting the city know we were proud to be riders and dedicated to advocating for our rights.

MMA, which sponsored this “Storm the Statehouse” ride, and has been doing so for several years, had all of Charles Street parking saved for us (I believe they bought all the parking spaces for the day! They are totally organized and we were totally impressed. After parking, we all walked up to the Statehouse and had a group picture taken. We then were given instructions on how to enter the Statehouse and meet with our representatives and encourage them to support our bills. More pictures were taken, representatives were met and much was learned. Personally speaking, and I am not proud of this, it was my first time in 64 years of living in Mass. that I had been in the Statehouse. Thanks to MMA and this trip, I plan on going frequently, from now on.

After leaving the Statehouse, some of us reconvened at the 21st Amendment Club across the street before riding home. By then, we were down to 5 MMR and Kevin from MMA. Led by the intrepid “Indian” driven by Jack Daniels, we shot down the HOV lane to the South Shore. Some where along the line, we lost the ladies, Jan and Tabitha, but I’m sure they got home safely, as they demonstrated extreme cautiousness all day. 

On Sunday May 4th the benefit for Dave Lindross was held at the Next Page Club in Weymouth.
This was the day on which the MMR Bike Blessing had originally been scheduled, but had been cancelled due to inclement weather. Dave is the local rider who sustained severe injuries in a motorcycle accident caused by another motor vehicle and who had to have one foot amputated as a result.

Thirteen MMRs were in attendance along with a crowd of at least 100. $3,000 was raised to devote to Dave’s hospital bills and to contribute to the survivors fund. MMRs in attendance were Hawk, Karen DiPietro, Bill Ferguson, Dave & Pam Larsen, Paula McCallum, Scott & Theresa Lally, Dennis & Colleen Pierce, Rick & Donna Dockendorf, Butch Hiller and Cindy Daley. Also in attendance were Brian Mello’s widow Elise and his daughter. Brian Mello’s ride in August is mentioned elsewhere in this newsletter Cindy and her band were one of the bands that contributed their time to this benefit. A good time was had by all, and everyone left with a good feeling in their hearts.

Manomet Mystery Riders at the S.S. Hogs Poker Run
On Sunday, May 18th, on a most beautiful Spring Day, eleven MMRs attended the S.S. Hogs Poker Run. Six of us met at Gellar’s and were joined at various points by others who lived closer to Monty’s. For those of you not familiar with this event, it has been held for 20 or 25 years. I can’t remember which. Anyway it was a big anniversary for them. Again, if you are not familiar with the nomenclature, H.O.G. stands for Harley Owners Group. Many times the local Harley dealership, in this case Monty’s of Bridgewater, sponsor the local H.O.G. group.

A poker run does not mean you go for a ride and then poke her, it means you pick a card at each of five stops, including the beginning and the end, and the best poker hand wins a big prize. At the end, at the Whitman VFW, there were the usual biker games, a band and a sirloin steak dinner. Ex-MMR President Chuck Sherman and his wife Ellen were manning the food line. A good time was had by all, MMR received an attendance appreciation certificate, and we all boogied home to beat the rain. 

Submitted by Hawk Hawk’s bike breaks down
Everyone dreads a bike breakdown. It usually means nothing but misery and expense. Therefore, when riding home from Scituate Harbor after the Storm the Statehouse event, I became quite concerned when I heard a loud racket. I pulled right over and checked for loose parts. I found a strap loose on my gel seat and re-secured it. Thinking I was all set, I resumed riding. All was quiet until I picked up speed and then there it was again, a loud racket. Now I was really alarmed! Had I thrown a rod or something similarly drastic?

Checking again, I found my saddle bag latches unsecured and fastened them. I told myself that I was really losing it. Off I went again and, you guessed it, a loud racket. Now I was really getting pissed. The Statehouse trip had been a blast and the day was now threatening to deteriorate dramatically.

Off I got again. I crawled all the way around the bike, looking everywhere, testing every nut and bolt. Nothing! I stood up and noticed something strange about my helmet as my head went by the rear view mirror. Looking more closely, much to my chagrin, I realized one of the screws securing the visor had come out and the visor was flapping against my helmet when I sped up.

Extremely embarrassed, I rode home, occasionally holding the visor to stop the racket, and secured the visor when I found the lost screw in my saddle bag, where I had put the helmet, during the helmet free parade to the Statehouse. Please don’t laugh when you see me, since I already know that I am extremely mechanically challenged. 

Left Home Alone in N. Carolina by Paula McCallum (Plot Summary) Scott Smith, a 54 year old man from Manomet, is accidentally left behind while his motorcycle "family" rushes off in 3 trucks to the Jockey’s Ridge dunes on their Outer Banks, N. Carolina vacation.

Scotty discovers that his 10 buddies have gone off without him when he goes back into the house to grab his rain jacket. Scotty watches, in disbelief, as Bill’s taillights fade off down the road. Scott, although saddened, thinks, "screw them" and spends his time having fun in the house playing pool, (and I imagine, splashing around in the hot tub and jumping up and down on the king size beds).

Scott then learns that Terry and Bubbles (a.k.a. The Wet Bandits), two would-be "friends," are plotting to get back into the house. Scotty must fend for himself while protecting the rental home from these devious bikers, by setting booby traps throughout the premises (flashing back to his stint in Nam).

His most dastardly prank consists of an open can of paint hung above the front door, rigged with a string to the door knob. Meanwhile, Scott’s friends suddenly realize that they have left poor Scotty back in Nags Head so Jerry (Our Hero) offers to ride back to get him while the other members of the Mystery Riders continue to play frivolously in the sand.

The moral of this semi-fictional tale: When you’re traveling together in a large group, don’t ever leave a soldier (or a vengeful quiet man) behind.

From Gail Quinn Is it a Heart Attack or a Motorcycle Crash?
Vicki Sanfelipo, RN/EMT Director Accident Scene Management, Inc I am very concerned about motorcyclists well-being. I have been riding for well over 20 years and used to be able to enjoy the ride without knowing how vulnerable I was. I’m not talking about protective gear or the fact that we are not surrounded by metal. I am talking about what happens in the event we go down. Bikers are at much higher risk of dying in the event of a crash.

According to NHTSA’s 2007 Recent Trends in Motorcycle Crashes: In 2005, motorcycles made up 2.5 percent of all registered vehicles in the United States and accounted for only 0.4 percent of all vehicle miles traveled (VMT). However, in the same year, motorcyclists accounted for 10.5 percent of total traffic fatalities. Per 100,000 registered vehicles, the fatality rate for motorcyclists (73.12) in 2005 was 5.4 times the fatality rate for passenger car occupants (13.64). Per vehicle mile traveled in 2005, motorcyclists (42.27) were about 37 times as likely as passenger car occupants (1.14) to die in motor vehicle traffic crashes.

While NHTSA statistics can be in question without other stats to point to, their statistics show an alarming trend. Even if slightly off this is STILL alarming! We (motorcyclists) must not accept the fact that 10.5 % of motor vehicle fatalities are motorcycle related. I have been tracking these statistics for 12 years and they have not changed significantly. While we have put all of our eggs into one basket by concentrating on avoiding the crash in the first place, treatment after the crash occurs has largely been ignored. It not only has been ignored by motorcyclists, it has been ignored by the Emergency Medical System (EMS) as well!

While avoiding the crash in the first place is extremely important, all of our efforts have not significantly changed the number of motorcycle related crashes. (NHTSA – 93 Motorcycles{1}). I recently toured a 911 dispatch center. I asked what advice they would give for a motorcyclist who was not breathing and had a full face helmet on. They said they would recommend that the caller pump on the chest, up to300 times per minute. I asked a group of 50 motorcyclists how they would treat a motorcyclist who wasn’t breathing and was unconscious. They said THEY would open the airway (head tilt/chin lift) and do chest compressions. I polled EMTs. 75% were not comfortable with the jaw thrust method of opening a person’s airway while keeping the neck straight and 60% had not learned helmet removal as part of their training.

So much needs to be done in the area of Motorcycle Trauma Treatment that I am dumbfounded we have actually survived! While motorcycle rider training and share the road programs should continue in order to prevent the crash in the first place, proper care and treatment after the fact must be addressed in order to reduce the 10.5% of serious injuries and fatalities motorcyclists suffer. The most likely person to be at the scene of a motorcycle crash is another motorcyclist. Treatment can start right away if we are trained in proper care. In the event that another trained motorcyclist is not there, we want to know that advice given by the 911 dispatcher is correct. When professionals arrive we want to rest assured that they can provide proper care as well.

The American Heart Association recently came out with the recommendation that Chest Compressions only with minimal interruptions has increased survival rates in victims of witnessed cardiac arrest. This has sparked much media attention. For years, CPR was thought to be the cure all for anyone who collapsed for any reason and was not thought to be breathing. There was no clear distinction between trauma and heart attack/cardiac arrest other than an occasional mention of using jaw thrust for someone who might have a neck injury.

In the past few years, the American Heart Association has obviously moved away from trauma and is concentrating more on their actual purpose (survival rates of cardiac arrest) vs. survival rates of Trauma. The problem with this is that the general public and even medical professionals have not made the separation. Both Head Tilt Chin Lift and pumping on the chest are the wrong things to do in a trauma unless Jaw Thrust and Bleeding control measures have not been effective. A Motorcyclist who has crashed so significantly that they are no longer breathing should be highly suspected as a person with high cervical spine neck injury. Jaw Thrust Rescue Breathing keeps the neck straight while lifting the tongue off the back of the throat which is the most likely reason that they are not breathing. Once breathing has been established, circulation should be considered.

In trauma, the most likely reasons for loss of circulation is bleeding, not pump failure like in cardiac arrest. Imagine that you have someone who is bleeding and you now start pumping on the chest. You will just help them bleed out faster! So what can we do? It’s time to take control of our own fate. Helmet removal training is not enough, CPR is not enough, and First Aid is not enough.

1. Bystander Assistance Trauma training by motorcyclists is the BEST way to start proper care immediately. See www.accidentscene.org to find classes or get more information.

1. We need to get the attention of the EMS and insist that they give proper advice as well as being certain that they are properly trained in motorcycle specific care from First www.iGive.com/ASMI

Responder level to Paramedic. Write to your legislators asking them to contact the US DOT to request that they work with Accident Scene Management, Inc. (ASMI) to develop a module on motorcycle trauma as part of Basic EMT training (currently they only mention helmet removal, but even that is not required). 3.) Get this word out. Reprint this article in your newsletters. 4.) Help get ASMI training in all states and available to all bikers. Encourage Motorcycle groups and organizations to make a donation to ASMI which is leading the way in this topic. ASMI is in 26 states but our goal is to be in every state some day. Because we are so motorcycle specific we are not eligible for most grants. We depend on motorcyclists to help us achieve our goals.

Questions? Contact ASMI. info@accidentscene.org or 877-411-8551 Vicki Roberts-Sanfelipo, RN/EMT Director Accident Scene Management, Inc.President of SOS & Conspicuity Inc. W246 S3244 Industrial Ln. AWaukesha, WI 53189www.accidentscene.org info@accidentscene.org (877) 411-8551 - toll free(262) 521-2880 - local (262) 436-0286 - fax Give to ASMI while you shop! It's easy -  

Manomet Mystery Riders

Dear Mr. Hickman;
Per our telephone conversation here is some information regarding our group - South of Boston Quilts for Kids. The now international organization was founded in 2000 by Linda Arye in Pennsylvania. The original idea was to save millions of pounds of fabric from being thrown in the landfills. She began making quilts for children in hospitals and homeless shelters.

The word just spread and awareness grew. Mary Ann O'Neil began the Kingston Chapter in 2005. She has been a one woman show up until the past year when I met her. I introduced her to The Kingston Newcomers Club and a new bond was made. The fabric is donated from design houses and is shipped to Mrs. O'Neil. However, the cost of the thread, stuffing for the quilts and postage to mail the quilts has been coming out of her own pocket.

We recently delivered 18 quilts to the Plymouth Area Coalition for the Homeless shelter where there are 18 children living with their families. Nine more quilts were delivered to the Careworks Food Pantry. In the past, quilts have been given to the Neonatal Unit at South Shore Hospital, the Ronald McDonald House in Rhode Island and various children in the Kingston area. As I mentioned, we are asking for a donation of $100 to help cover the incidental costs. Interest in the organization has grown due to The Kingston Reporter's front page story on Mrs. O'Neil and from our table displays at local libraries.

At this time, the numbers of actual quilters has increased, but our funds have remained the same. We will continue to service the local shelters, food pantries, hospitals and other children in need of a warm quilt. Any assistance you can provide us would be greatly appreciated.

Please feel free to contact me at 781-585-6896 or at debbie.grace@comcast.net with any further questions. The national website also has an enormous amount of information regarding the chapters from around the country - www.quiltsforkids.org . 
Sincerely, Debbie Grace 

Submitted by Deane Laitinen April 18, 2008
Wisconsin: Best Western hotels to offer perks to bikers By The Associated Press MILWAUKEE (AP) -- Best Western International hotels hope to earn a reputation as hog heaven with a partnership with Harley-Davidson Inc.About half of the 2,100 Best Westerns in the United States and Canada have agreed to provide perks for bikers, including motorcycle wash stations, wipe-down towels, tar remover and designated parking areas. Riders who register for the companies' rewards program also can get reduced room rates. Greg Rodd, a motorcyclist from West Bend, said it would be nice to have a place to wash his bike without worrying about using cleantowels from the hotel room. "Just the fact that a hotel does something like this means they understand our needs," Rodd said.

The Best Western in downtown Milwaukee has offered services for motorcyclists for at least five years, general manager Don Wassenaar said. A hotel survey found that about one-fourth were more likely to stay there again because of the perks. Dain Gingerelli, editor of Iron Works motorcycle magazine, said a motorcycle-friendly attitude makes a difference to bikers on long trips.  Dear Lee, I am a passenger on my husband’s bike. I enjoy going places on the bike with him, but every time we get where we are going and I take off my helmet, I have “helmet hair” and look awful !

Can you recommend something to solve this hair-raising (or flattening) problem ? Dear Bad Hair Day, You could wear a dew rag over your hair, go topless and no one would be looking at your hair. Get a lot of tattoos to also distract people from looking at your hair. Really, don’t worry about it, it is part of the riding experience. Dear Lee, I feel like some women expect a free ride from guys without ever pitching in themselves. Since your Swedish, I was wondering what your thoughts are about going Dutch? Signed, Trick or Treat Dear Trick or Treat I'm from the old school, I always paid for the ladies that I took out. My thoughts on going Dutch, I'd rather go Greek.